Scripture

The Lord Himself will give you the sign. Look! A virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Emmanuel which means God is with us.

Observation

Syria and Israel join forces to attack Jerusalem. The Lord tells Isaiah to go to meet King Ahaz and tell him to stop worrying about these two kings. The Lord says the invasion will not happen.

Later, the Lord sends a message to Ahaz to choose a sign of confirmation. Ahaz refuses to test the Lord in the way. Isaiah says that the Lord will give him the sign. A virgin will conceive and she will call her child Emmanuel, which means God is with us. By the time the child is old enough to know right and wrong, he will be eating yoghurt and honey for the lands of these two kings will be deserted.

Application

This prophecy about a virgin conceiving was to reach it’s fulfilment in the birth of Jesus, and we often remember it at Christmas.

At the time, the kingdom of Judah was facing an existential threat as the kings of Israel and Syria were planning to invade. How comforting the name Emmanuel must have been to King Ahaz.

Jesus is Emmanuel, God is with us.

He has promised to be with us always, regardless of where we might go in the world. “I will never leave you or forsake you,” He promises us.

God is also with us in the sense of being for us. Those who are in fellowship with Jesus can be certain that God is with us. He will not smite us, destroy us or let us down. He is for us, not against us. He loves us and will always work for our good.

Emmanuel – God is with us.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the encouragement of this scripture. You truly are Emmanuel, God with us. Amen.